Champion In Spain!
MAP France angler Christophe Becerra had a weekend to remember recently as he won the prestigious Desafio event held on the Castrejon Canal in Central Spain!
We caught up with Christophe to get his account of the event and how he approached the venue and the tactics he used to win the event.
The Desafio, organised by Sensas Spain, is a well-known event among French anglers. I discovered it in 2025 with my friend Romain. It allows you to measure yourself against the best Spanish anglers, a strong French contingent, and a few Italian anglers.
The chosen venue is the Castrejon Canal in central Spain, 100 km south of Madrid.
This 50-meter-wide, 7-meter-deep concrete canal, fed by the waters of the Tagus, has three main characteristics:
- A strong current that can vary throughout the day
- Steep concrete banks sloping down to 12 m from the edge on both sides, followed by a flat, hard bottom
- Numerous snags on the slopes caused by concrete plates detaching from the banks
The most common species are carp between 0.2 and 2.5 kg, catfish of about 80 g, and crucians. The rather successful 2025 experience helped me a lot in preparing for the 2026 edition.
Training sessions at the beginning of the week showed us that despite the cold and water below 10°C, carp would be decisive for a good ranking. The larger fish were located on the concrete slope along the near bank and the far bank.
The event consists of two rounds with points added together, with Friday dedicated to the Pre-Desafio, which helps refine strategies.
The Friday draw gives me the upstream half-end peg of sector D.
The strategy defined during training makes me prepare three lines:
- At 11 m along the near bank with a mix of corn, crushed corn, and seed glue to bind it all
- At 44 m on the far bank with the same mix
- At 18 m on the flat section with a red carp groundbait and glued white maggots
After several attempts, I focus on the near-bank line where I manage to catch 60 fish, including 12 around 1 kg, mainly with three maggots on the hook. The result was satisfying as I finished 2nd in the sector with over 21 kg of carp.
The next day, things get serious with the first round of the Desafio.
A favorable draw places me on the upstream end peg of sector B. The strategy was the same as the day before.
Unfortunately, the near-bank line is unproductive and the 18-m line was inconsistent. I concentrated on the far bank, where the bites are spaced out but the fish are of a good stamp.
With 17 kg, I place 2nd in the sector, beaten by the downstream end peg.
A result that keeps my chances alive for the next day.
For the second round, I'm heading to sector D at peg 4, in an area where fish fed on the near bank the day before. I kept with my plan on the three prepared lines. Despite several attempts, bites are absent on the near bank. The 18-m line is taken over by small catfish.
On the other hand, fishing the far-bank slope produces regular catches of carp around 1 kg. Despite a very strong wind requiring 120-g feeders, I manage to put 16 carp in the keepnet. The sector was very tight with three anglers over 16 kg. The scales tipped in my favor: verdict—1st place with 17.700 kg.
With 3 points total from the two rounds, I had the immense joy of winning this magnificent event.
This victory crowns a wonderful week of training, sharing, good spirits, and communal meals with a very united French delegation.
A big thank-you to the organising team gathered around Angel and Roberto Rodriguez. I encourage all European anglers to apply for the 2027 event.
Equipment used
Near bank: Parabolix Black Edition 12-ft rods for their softness
At 18 m: Parabolix Ultra II SUV 12-ft rods
At 44 m: Extremis Distance 4.0m rods
0.23mm mono on the reels, international rig, and 50-cm hooklengths in 0.15 and 0.17 mm Optimum Power, Kaisen and Fine Carp hooks in sizes 14 and 12, 40-, 50-, and 60-g Mikado Tunnel feeders for the 11- and 18-m lines, and 80-, 90-, and 120-g feeders for the far bank.
